First saw wine made at age 7, became a Master Gardner and now my favorite plant is Vitis vinifera. Published wine reviewer, teach wine appreciation at the local school district. And at my old age completed some WSET levels just because I love all things wine. I pour wine for various distributors, have worked with chefs pairing wine and food at corporate events and do private home parties too. Between events, I meet with winemakers in various states and countries.

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VOLPAIA VIN SANTO del CLASSICO 2003

“Accept what life
offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some
should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”…… Paulo
Coelha, Brida

If
Paulo is correct in saying that all wines should be tasted, it would be remiss
of me not to talk about this wine. You
already know from the name that it’s an Italian wine. More specifically, it’s from the region of
Tuscany; the sub-region of Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. But don’t let use of the word “Chianti”
mislead you. Although the sub-region includes the words “Chianti Classico” (a
D.O.C.), this is not a wine of blended Sangiovese grapes, nor does it taste
anything like it. Not only are the
grapes used in the making of this unusual wine different, but how those grapes
are vinfied is a story in itself – and one that should instill respect in your
heart for this wine being a labor of love.

Let’s
start with the grapes: Trebbiano and Malvasia.
Italy, remember, is the land of over 900 grape varieties so when you’re expanding
your experience with Italian wines, you’re likely to encounter fun new
tastes. The grapes are picked toward the
end of September with the best bunches (no bruises and and loosely packed
berries) taken to the vinsantaia. The vinsantaia
is a loft where the grapes are hung in bunches by chains and left to dry until
February. Thanks to the climate in Vin
Santo, with cold but dry winters, the grapes are not subject to rot. And numerous, large windows kept open
throughout this time provide constant air circulation. If you’re familiar with the process of appassimento (see http://www.winemizer.net/2013/05/amaqrone-della-valpolicella.html
) in the making of Amarone, think similarly.

In
February, the grapes are sufficiently dried to assure the Vinsanto

will have a
high alcohol content and the residual sugar necessary for the long fermentation. Only now are the grapes pressed and, after a
natural process of clarification, the must is poured into small oak casks which
still contain the lees of the finished Vinsanto that had just been removed.
These lees start the fermentation process which can last up to five years! (no, that’s not a typo – five year’s
fermentation). Finally, the Vinsanto is
racked from the lees, clarified and bottled – usually in smaller 375ml bottles.

The
bottle size is appropriate since the wine itself is more desert appropriate. In
the glass, it shows medium amber and offers tastes of burnt sugar, caramel and
candied orange peel. At 16.5% alcohol,
it’s a powerful finish to a meal and a wine to warm you up in winter. Though a
desert wine, it’s not sweet in the way of a Sauterne, Tokay or “late harvest”
anything. I find it more akin to a Marsala in texture.

A
purpose of this blog is to introduce you, perhaps, to different grapes; to
bring you along the wonder-journey of winemaking and to introduce different
tastes and textures into your glass. Vin
Santo will do that. And while it may not
be a style of wine you prefer for daily consumption, experiencing it will broaden
your awareness of how long (this method of drying grapes is centuries old) and
how patiently (five year fermentation!) winemakers work to give their wine a
sense of place when you’re enjoying it.

Salute!

………………….
Jim

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